Well Now I am 50!! Still am Mom of 5 but will always have a destiny ahead of me!! A lot has happened in one year since I have last written but my heart is always with Jesus and being an artist and a woman of destiny!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Faith is trusting God when you cannot see through the fog...

Hi wonderful woman and maybe a guy or two :)

After looking back on this week I think today was the worst day at work ever! I have been searching the Lord so much these past few weeks..He has given me words for others..He has strengthened me in so many areas..I am trying to give up something that has been a hinderance for so long..but Jesus has been good..I am at peace. So what do you think the enemy did today?! He tried to beat me to a pulp! My boss came in and was on a war path from the minute he say me. Then 2 hours later, I had a co-worker put in information for something, which was put in wrong, so my boss said in an e-mail, "which one of you did the count wrong"? I told him my co-worker did. So he calls me and says "Is is done right?" I said "Yea no problem" He then says, "You really love to blame people don't you?" Excuse me..didn't you ask who put it in? He then calls me later and tells me I can't read because I put his fax number in wrong and whats wrong with my eye sight? Funny how he put his fax number in wrong the first place..and of course didn't apologize for screaming at me and being disrespectful!! As usual I went home and cried and felt like I was worthless, very human huh!?

Now..what is the enemy trying to do ladies..I think "it" is saying, "Wait a minute, Donna is giving words to women, shes bringing encouragement, I do not want this, they're hurting, I have them just where I want them..Donna's got to suffer...So, what should we do...I think..continue to speak words of encouragement, stop dealing with fear, laugh in the face of adversity and bring everything to the throne!! Amen!

Yes, I was upset but I will not allow the enemy to come between me and God, nor the words that I have for others! What does it say in 2 Tim 1:7 "FOR GOD has not given us (me) a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND" So many of us are plagued by fears of all kinds( mine is probably loosing my job because my boss lost his mind!!) They have fear of failure, financial loss, or even fear of what can happen tomorrow. Rejection (my biggest devil!), disapproval, being left out, being unloved or ignored. Accidents, disease, death for their loved ones, the list can go on and on.

It seems like Timothy probably struggled with the problem of fear, he was young and didn't know any better. We may feel intimidated because we are woman, or because we may feel a lack of certain things. What I mean by that is if we've not been brought up as a christian, we may fear we don't know a lot about Jesus or the Bible. We may even feel a fear of job skills (me) or maybe we don't feel pretty. Have I touched on just about everything a woman feels? But Paul who was Timothy's mentor wrote to remind him that the remedy for such intimidation was for him to stir up or rekindle the spiritual gift that was in him (2 Tim 1:6). I think its good for us as woman too!

This gift gives us power, love and a sound mind..that is completely opposite fear. The thing though we need to do is embrace this gift, stir it up, and remain focused on what God says instead of listening to the sickening voice of the enemy. One time while I was praying, actually more than once, I heard a voice in my mind saying.."What makes you think praying will change anything? He will never change!!" What do you think happened next, my focus shifted from God, to my shortcomings and a sense of inadequacy. Everyone can be intimidated by a sick voice without realizing it!

I immediately realized it wasn't the Holy Spirit. How dare the enemy interrupt my praying!! If that happens to you, like it happened to me, you have to declare aloud "Satan, the word of God says the "fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16), and I am righteous because of Jesus. I choose to believe what God says, therefore, my prayer is effective. I refuse to listen to YOU"! We have to ask God to help us recognize the enemy's voice and never give it time to fester in your mind.

Keep the fire of the Holy Spirit stirred up in you and use the word of God so you can resist the enemy..then you can make good judgement calls, self control, and make right decisions for yourself and loved ones. If God is for you..who can be against you!! Praise God! He is good!Love Donna

Thank you sweet Lady! I will stand firm and trusting daily..right now the prayers of all of you can only do good and that is why the enemy is so stupid!! God allowed this to happen so I would have hundreds of woman praying for me..remember the enemy doesn't know our future only God does and He has a marvelous plan for you and I! AmenDonna

I'm so sorry this happened to you today. Keep the faith dear sister. You are so right about satan not liking the work you are doing for the Lord. Keep living by God's Word as it says in John 15:7-8 "But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." Donna, you are producing much fruit! You are so willing to be a prayer warrior for so many of us. You practically beg for us to lay our troubles on you. You have to think about yourself and your family. I will be praying for your situation, your boss, and for you to have a peaceful restful day tomorrow. I hope you don't have to work tomorrow. Here is another little prayer from my crosswalk devotionals:

In my fifficulties today, I will change my perspective. God is at work behind the scenes. He is ready to take the lemons in my life and make lemonade. I will look to Him. I will give thanks to him for what is about to happen to me. I will remember he delights in turning the tables on the devil and working all things together for good to those who love Him. He is a good God and is worthy of my total and complete trust, regardless of my present circumstances.

Take care of yourself, Donna. Please know that many of us are praying with you and for you.

Keep the faith strong and dont let him get you down. He will not succeed if you turn it around and choose a positive reaction rather than a down spirited one as a result of the attack on your positive vibrations.

Hi Donna-At this time when I am reading your blog...I am also listening to Charles Stanley...Guess what his sermon is about? God is Good all the time! Know that you are loved by Almighty God. Be encouraged in the Lord...do not fear what man can do to you. Do not grow weary in well doing. The Joy of the Lord is your strength. Praise the Lord in the midst of your trials. Be BlessedDebrah

Donna,Well you have taken the 1st step, and that is recognizing the accuser - (the devil).And you are right, when we are stepping up our obedience for God the devil gets nervous and tries more tricks. He knows our weaknesses even better than we do so don't let him push your buttons. Joyce Meyer has some wonderful material for building confidence and casting out fear and fighting the Devil. "Battlefield of the Mind" "Confident Woman", "Approval Addiction", "People Pleasing" She has CD's, DVD's and books, she's a wonderful woman of God and has been a great help to me. Now some scriptures in the meantime to build up your strength: 1 john 4:18, Psalm 91 a lot of it read it all, Romans 8:15, 1 Peter 5:7, Phil 4:6,7 And let me share that there is a two fold blessing in this next one, Psalm 37... Delight your selfing the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart.... He gives the visions and desires that you should follow for your life... and He gives you what you desire. Make your specific petitions know to God, and when it comes thru give us all your praisse report. Have a great day, I'm praying for you.Love,Lynn aka JnL4God

First I want to thank everyone for your prayers! You have blessed me tremendously..Debrah I'm sure you know that I go to Dr. Stanley's church, First Baptist of Atlanta, and today's message was absolutely for me. It is the prayer that we all need to pray for one another 1 Colossians 1: 9-12 "..do not cease to pray for you, and I ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light!"

Dr. Stanley said we are to pray this for everyone, pick one person a day, watch what it will do for them. The enemy is a liar just like all of you have said and I truly am glad that I am seeing it for what "it" is..The enemy saw that I was reaching all of you and he didn't like it..well I am not going to stop and I praise God for His grace. Grace is freely given and He will sustain you and I through all of your trials as well as my own!Praise Him!Lets just remember to lift each one of us up so that we may be strengthened in His might and bear much fruit as I am reaching all of you.God Bless you all!Donna

Donna,You are absolutely right on your blog that the devil is right on your doorstep. It is so clear that he does not like for things to be going our way in the Lord. Stand firm...I think you quoted this week the verse about standing firm because the devil prows around to find someone to devour...(my paraphrase). The awesome thing is as the devil attacks you in the midst of God's work, God will not leave you and He is right there...IF you fall, He WILL pick you up. He will not allow Satan to consume you but stand firm in knowing that the Lord is working this out. Your faith to believe under the worst circumstances just may be tested. And IF you were to loose your job, God will provide.

Who was the young lady on Rachel's site that just graduated college, is returning back to Florida, looking for a job, and needing a place to live. I gave the example of my friend needing a place for her parents and God provided one day prior to the magic date they needed a place. So, either God wants you to stand firm and be a powerful witness in your current job or He'll provide another.

Have you considered that maybe God is allowing you to be attacked by Satan and by your boss so that your boss and other co-workers can then see how you react and handle it and ultimately down the road see it is by God's power alone. Maybe this has to happen so your boss and co-workers will step back and think "man, I've been really rude, mean, and disrespectful to Donna yet she responds with love, kindness and grace that I do not deserve...what does she have? Why is she doing that?"

That is what we - Christians - are all about...being a witness to the lost and to other believers. If we have to endure hardship, sickness, and suffering to bring just ONE lost to Christ, it is all worth it!!!!

You quoted two verses that I've long known and love...God didn't give us a spirit of fear (or timidity) but of love, power, and self-discipline.

The power of a righteous man IS powerful and effective...I believe when we not only are righteous through Christ but we also have our sins confessed and therefore there are no barriers between us and Christ, that He hears those prayers "more" or rather He is "more" responsive to those. I hope that comes across the way I'm trying to say. He hears all of our prayers and responds but I think He is affected more by those sent from the righteous and those with no barriers such as sin, unforgiveness, worry, etc.

I love the quote of plant lady. I just heard John Hagee preach this morning on tv and he quoted this. It is just so neat when others quote or reference verses that I already know in my heart and some memorized.

Remember all for HIS glory...again, how do people endure this life without Christ. I hope it gives you strength knowing that you are enduring this trial for HIS glory, for your good, and for HIS purpose(s). There IS a reason...just know He'll give you the power and strength to endure...one day at a time, maybe one moment at a time. In Him,Paula

Donna, Don't you hate it when the devil does that. You're on the path doing what God has told you to do and the devil tries to beat you down or interrupt. Been there done that. Hang in there, God is faithful. Praying for you. Roxie

Thank you for you encouragement and kinds words. Remember that Satan is constantly working overtime to try to break us; especially the ones God is using! Even as we sleep, Satan is thinking of ways to try and lead us from the Almighty. We are all human. We have to stick together with prayer and continue to lift each other up. Remember that God is using you and he has great things planned for you. Amen! God Bless!

Donna,I am so sorry that you had such a horrible day at work Saturday. What a blessing though to recognize that the enemy is after YOU because of your service to the Lord. I find this to be so true. Whenever I come home from a ladies retreat or serve him in some larger capacity the week to follow is very hard. It makes the devil so angry when we serve God and he is like a spoiled brat that has to make himself known.

Yesterday as I sat at church just one week after celebrating Easter and the risen Savior I felt so alone. It was strange--I felt as if no one here (church) really cared about me. Now, we have attended this church for 10+ years and have many friends but I had this feeling of no one even noticing me or caring about my family or myself. I realize that the devil was working those doubts into my heart because my heart had been so "full" last week following the service. As you can see I deal with being accepted and the devil went right for my juggler vein!! How dare he!!! I have and will continue to pray for your work situation and will continue to keep my eyes and heart on HIM!!

I am so glad to have met you yesterday! I prayed the Colossians prayer for you just now, and I will continue to pray that for you ... That you will know God's will for your life, that you will walk in a manner worthy of Him, that you will bear fruit in every good work (like this blog!) and increase in the knowledge of Him, that you will be strengthened with His power for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, that you will give thanks to the Father and revel in your inheritance in Him!

Wow, what great encouragers the Lord has brought to your blog, even while we were talking and praying yesterday! I think you should reread (and reread) these posts several times. The Lord is providing the encouragement you've needed.

By the way, I love '50s clothing, too! My mother was a teen in the '50s and she actually kept almost all of her clothing for a daughter someday! I started wearing all those beautiful things in high school in the '80s and still wear a lot of them today. I love watching those old Alfred Hitchcock movies and seeing the lovely fashions that actresses like Grace Kelly were wearing.

One of my anonymous posting, Bille from my church, actually prayed with me yesterday while I truly believe all of you did too! I thank you again from the bottom of my heart that you are all encouraging me to go on and to keep sharing with all of you what God has given me. I want to re read them over and over, so that I know God is in control! Kim said while she was in church the enemy attacked her thinking! I can relate to that also..all of a sudden, you have thoughts like, "boy who does she think she is, she can't sing"! or "I thought they were my friends, they didn't even sit with me today!" Isn't it amazing how "he" even attacks while we are in worship!

From now on let us all not give him another thought. We know where it is coming from and leave it there. Lets pray him away. Lets remember that all of us are bearing fruit when we pray for one another. You are all blessed and blessed indeed, as Jabez said..I have prayed this prayer so many times and I certainly know He is enlarging my territory for the Glory of God!

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Welcome to Donna's page, "50 and crazy in love with God...."

Welcome..this is still my first blog which I started out nearly 2 years ago..I feel as if I should of written many times over but time has been hard and the job situation changed me in many ways which has been a rough road. I had to work and do things to survive which wasn't what I wanted to do but I am a survivor and I always will be. God is good and has always blessed me in so many ways, one can't count on 3 hands how many ways. I face challenges each day but right now I am not just going to "work" for someone..I have to follow my dream. I am a designer and a good one and that is who I need to follow..ME!!Thanks..be patient with me as I continue to grow! Because without Jesus nothing is possible..Donna

About Me

Mother of 5,christian, wife, saleswoman in now insurance,ugh!I am an artist and I am a designer creative and all around fun person!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in everything achknowledge Him, and He will direct your ways"